Nigel de Jong of the Netherlands shakes hands with head coach Louis van Gaal as he exits the game during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Round of 16 match between Netherlands and Mexico at Castelao on June 29, 2014 in Fortaleza, Brazil. (Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)

Nigel De Jong: Netherlands Coach Louis Van Gaal is ‘One of a Kind’

Netherlands defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong has high praise for national team coach Louis van Gaal.

De Jong, 29, will certainly play no more part in this World Cup for the Oranje after tearing a groin muscle against Mexico in the round of 16.

However, de Jong is still with the Netherlands team, and watched his side beat Costa Rica in a nerve wrecking penalty shootout.

The most talked about event of the shootout was not the outcome, but van Gaal’s tactical move before that of removing main goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen and replacing him with backup goalie Tim Krul with a just a minute to go before the end of extra time.

Krul performed brilliantly, and both he and van Gaal received plaudits after the game.

De Jong also sang praises of his coach’s ability to make bold formation,

Midfielder Nigel de Jong has also been impressed by Van Gaal’s ability to switch formations, tactics and players to turn matches around for the Netherlands.

“You’ve seen his resume – he is a fantastic coach and over the years he has got a lot of experience,” said De Jong.

“He is just one of a kind, in his way of working and especially the tactical discipline he has got for the team.

“He is one of the first I experienced that makes tactical changes in games. For me it is a new experience.”

See an AP story below.

Dutch Queen Maxima Has Split Semifinal Loyalties

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The World Cup semifinal could produce some split loyalties in the House of Orange.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and his wife, Argentina-born Maxima, could face some minor matrimonial tensions on Wednesday when the Netherlands takes on Argentina in Sao Paulo.

At least that’s what photo manipulators on Twitter would have the world believe.

Doctored images began circulating online as soon as the Netherlands completed its dramatic World Cup quarterfinal win over Costa Rica, setting up the semifinal with Lionel Messi’s Argentina lineup.

One shows a couple lying in bed, facing away from one another, looking angry. The faces of Willem-Alexander and Maxima have been edited into the image of marital disharmony.

Another shows the king and queen’s mansion in the wealthy village of Wassenaar draped in orange flags on one side for the Dutch and blue-and-white flags for Argentina on the other.

The photos are fakes, but emotions could well run high when the king’s country plays his wife’s country of birth at football’s global tournament.

The Dutch government information service confirmed in an email to The Associated Press on Monday that the couple will not fly to Sao Paulo to watch the match.

Publicly, at least, Maxima is a fervent fan of her adopted country.

Earlier in the tournament, she joined her husband in Porto Alegre to watch the Netherlands gritty 3-2 win over Australia — a match at which the naturalized Dutchwoman Maxima unabashedly cheered on the team and visited the changing rooms afterward to congratulate the players.

Photos showed the royals, draped in orange scarves, with the players and congratulating midfielder Wesley Sneijder on his 100th international appearance.

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Maxima is the daughter of a former agriculture minister in Argentina’s 1976-1983 military dictatorship. She met the then-prince Willem-Alexander while she was working as a banker in New York. The couple has three daughters.

The vivacious Maxima, who speaks fluent Dutch, has been credited with giving the sometimes dour prince a popularity boost by injecting a touch of Latin flair into the royal family.

The prince, a former member of the International Olympic Committee, has long been a regular fixture watching Dutch athletes, from footballers to speedskaters to field hockey players, in action. His wife has enthusiastically joined in since their marriage in 2002.

If the Dutch manage to beat Argentina, don’t bet against the royal couple being in the Maracana for the World Cup final — their official diary is clear from July 9 through to July 17.

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